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Results tagged ‘ Astros ’

Add outfielder Grady Sizemore to the list of players the Astros have contacted.

A source told MLB.com on Tuesday the Astros had talked to the representatives for Sizemore, who hasn’t played in the Major Leagues since 2011. He underwent back surgery and knee surgery in 2011 and sat out last year while he tried to get healthy.

An All-Star with the Indians from 2006-08 with the Indians, Sizemore hasn’t played more than half a season since appearing in 106 games with Cleveland in 2009, when he hit 18 homers, drove in 64 runs and batted .248.

Free agent pitcher Jose Veras, who served as the Astros closer the first half of the season, said Tuesday his agent has been talking to Houston about a possible return to the Astros.

Veras, who lives in Miami, told MLB.com he would be thrilled to come back to the Astros, who signed him to a one-year deal a year ago and then traded him to Detroit in July. Veras saved 19 games for the Astros last year and posted a 2.93 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 14 walks in 43 innings.

“It feels like family there,” Veras said. “It’s a young team and they’re hungry to win. I feel part of the team. I doesn’t matter to me if we won or lose. When you play as a team and everybody cares, that’s the best part for me. I do my job to make the tam excited we won the game.

“It was my first time to get an opportunity to be a closer, and I appreciated that part. It felt like the best place I’ve been. I was talking to my agent and I feel excited the Astros are interested to bring me back to the team.”

The Astros have added Chad Qualls to their bullpen but would like to sign one more reliever. They’ve talked to the representatives of Jesse Crain, a Houston resident, and Chad Gaudin.

Meanwhile, a source told MLB.com the Astros have been talking with the agent for free agent outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse, who has a history with manager Bo Porter in Washington. Morse, 31, hit .215 with 23 homers and 27 RBIs in only 88 games split between the Mariners and Orioles last year and is two years removed from slugging 31 homers for Washington in 2011.

With Friday’s flurry of big moves in the rearview mirror and the baseball world gearing up for the start of the Winter Meetings on Monday, the Hot Stove took a bit of a break on Saturday.

Here is a look at the latest news from around the league:

The Yankees reached official agreements with two free agents, announcing their seven-year contract with outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, as well as re-signing starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda for one year.

After reportedly agreeing to a three-year deal with Carlos Beltran on Friday, the Yankees could be open to dealing from their outfield depth and are “receiving significant interest” in Brett Gardner, according to Andy McCullough of The Star Ledger.

Elsewhere in the American League East, the Red Sox announced their two-year deal with reliever Edward Mujica. Boston general manager Ben Cherington said that while he will continue to look for upgrades, the Sox likely are finished with their “heavy lifting.” On the other hand, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is “in play” for the Red Sox, according to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti confirmed that he is open to trading an outfielder, since the club has Kemp, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig.

Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who could be in line for a contract extension this offseason, played a little joke via social media.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com and MLB Network lists the Dodgers, D-backs, Rangers and Mariners as the teams in the best position to make a trade for Rays ace left-hander David Price at the Winter Meetings. Among the other players Rosenthal believes could be moved this week in Orlando, Fla., are A’s starting pitcher Brett Anderson, Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon, Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija and Orioles catcher Matt Wieters.

During a question-and-answer session with fans at the second day of Redsfest, Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty said it will be “very difficult” to re-sign free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and also downplayed trade rumors about second baseman Brandon Phillips.

With Beltran heading to the Yankees, the Royals will have to look elsewhere to add an impact bat this offseason. Another club that lost out on Beltran, the D-backs, could target the Angels’ Mark Trumbo instead, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

The Marlins could be looking to looking to trade for Rays utility man Sean Rodriguez as they aim to find a solution at third base. Our Joe Frisaro also explains why the Marlins are likely to trade first baseman-outfielder Logan Morrison.

The Orioles added an outfielder, signing Francisco Peguero, who had been designated for assignment and then non-tendered by the Giants. Peguero had been MLB.com’s No. 98 overall prospect going into last season.

The Astros have signed free agent right-handed pitcher Chad Qualls to a two-year contract, which includes a club option for the 2016 season. The deal is worth a reported $6 million over two years with a $3.5-million option.

Qualls, 35, went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 66 relief appearances for Miami last season. He induced 11 double play balls, which ranked tied for third among National League relievers, and ranked fifth in the NL in ground ball percentage (77.7 percent). Qualls has now made 50 or more appearances in nine consecutive seasons (2005-13) and since his debut in 2004, ranks second among all Major League relievers with 663 career appearances.

“Improving our bullpen is a top priority this offseason,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “Bringing Chad back to Houston is a big step in that direction.”

Qualls returns to Houston, the organization that drafted him in the second round of the 2000 draft. He worked his way up the minors and pitched parts of four seasons for the Astros (2004-07). Over his first two campaigns (2004-05), he was an integral part of the Astros bullpen that carried the club to a National League Championship series in 2004 and a World Series appearance in 2005. Qualls made three appearances in the 2005 World Series, allowing just one run in 5.1 innings pitched (1.69 ERA). Overall as an Astro, he made 262 appearances and owns a 23-12 record with six saves and a 3.39 ERA.

Qualls has pitched for eight different organizations in his career, including time with Houston (2004-07), Arizona (2008-10), Tampa Bay (2010), San Diego (2011), Philadelphia (2012), New York-AL (2012), Pittsburgh (2012) and Miami (2013). In his 663 career appearances, Qualls has gone 45-37 with 51 saves and a 3.79 ERA.

The Astros landed the veteran starting pitcher they’ve been coveting by agreeing to sign right-hander Scott Feldman, a source confirmed to MLB.com. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports the deal is three years and $30 million.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow wouldn’t confirm the report.

Feldman is a nine-year veteran who split 2013 between the Cubs and the Orioles, going 12-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 30 starts. He gives the Astros a proven arm to plug into their young rotation with Jarred Cosart, Dallas Keuchel, Brett Oberholtzer and Brad Peacock.

Feldman, 30, spent his first eight seasons with the Rangers, going 39-44 with a 4.81 ERA in 204 games, including 101 starts. He came up as a reliever but was moved to the rotation in 2008.

The Cubs added another left-handed reliever to the bullpen mix on Wednesday, signing free agent Wesley Wright to a one-year deal believed to be $1.425 million. Wright, 28, was non-tendered by the Rays on Monday. He posted a combined 3.69 ERA in 70 games for the Rays and Astros this past season, striking out 55 over 53 2/3 innings pitched.

In his career, Wright has held left-handed hitters to a .231 average compared to .266 by right-handed batters.

Wright announced the signing himself by changing his Twitter profile @realweswright to say he’s now a relief pitcher for the Cubs.

The Cubs were looking for bullpen help, and especially another left-hander to help southpaw James Russell, who ranked 10th in the National League in games (74). Chicago is still shopping for a closer to replace Kevin Gregg, who is a free agent.

The Astros on Tuesday acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler and a player to be named later from the Rockies in exchange for outfielder Brandon Barnes and right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles.

Fowler, 27, hit .263 with 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, 65 walks and a .369 on-base percentage in 119 games with Colorado last season. The switch-hitting outfielder started 106 games in center field for the Rockies in 2013 and has been Colorado’s primary center fielder for the last five seasons (2009-13).

Barnes, 27, hit .240 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs in 136 games in what was his rookie season in 2013. He appeared in 179 Major League games over the last two seasons (2012-13) with the Astros. Barnes was originally a sixth-round pick by Houston in the 2005 draft.

Lyles, 23, went 7-9 with one save and a 5.59 ERA in 27 games (25 starts) with the Astros last season. He appeared in 72 games (65 starts) for the Astros since his MLB debut in 2011. Lyles was originally a supplemental first-round draft pick by Houston in the 2008 draft.

Free agent outfielder Chris Young, who hit 12 homers and drove in 40 runs with the A’s in 107 games last season, said he would like to play in his hometown of Houston, but he said he didn’t know if his agent had been in contact with the Astros.

“Every team is an option,” said Young, who went to Houston baseball power Bellaire High School. “I love Houston. I’m from Houston and play well in Houston and always have. Something about being home that’s refreshing to me. I love everything about the city and the team. They’re growing, and I feel they’re going to make some moves here soon. They have a good future. I’m open to all the possibilities.”

Young, 30, is a career .235 hitter with 144 homers and 448 RBIs in eight years, including seven with the D-backs, where he was coached by current Astros manager Bo Porter. In 52 games against the Astros, he’s a career .325 hitter with 12 homers and 47 RBIs, including .392 with eight homers and 30 RBIs in 23 games at Minute Maid Park.

“There’s quite a few teams I’m in conversations with right now,” Young said. “It’s an exciting time for me. It’s the first time I’ve been able to have more of an input on where I played and where I end up at, and now it’s prime time for me to be able to go somewhere I want to go and help the team win.”

Although the General Managers Meetings in Orlando, Fla., finished on Wednesday, the baseball world remained plenty busy on Thursday.

The Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera’ and the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen were named the American and National League Most Valuable Players, respectively. The owners gave unanimous approval for funding an expanded instant replay system at their quarterly meeting, another key step on the way toward implementing it for the 2014 season. And Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball’s chief operating officer, revealed that MLB and Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have hit a snag in their negotiations over the posting-fee system, casting doubt on whether highly touted right-hander Masahiro Tanaka will become available to MLB teams this offseason.

Even with the meetings over, rumors continued to circulate, with Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reporting that free-agent right-hander Ricky Nolasco already has received multiple four-year offers, in the neighborhood of $52-60 million. In other news from around the league:

AL East

With rumors flying about whether the Rays will trade ace left-hander David Price, our Bill Chastain examines the pros and cons of such a deal, which would be nothing new for the Rays. The club previously has gotten strong returns for pitchers Matt Garza and James Shields.

Jake Peavy’s championship-winning stay in Boston could be short-lived, with our Phil Rogers writing that the Red Sox could look to deal the veteran right-hander. He speculates that the Angels could be one of several clubs to have interest in Peavy.

Speaking of players leaving Boston, ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes reports that shortstop Stephen Drew will not return to the Red Sox, who aren’t likely to match other teams’ multiyear offers.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos might have his work cut out for him as he tries to improve his club while staying within Toronto’s budget this offseason.

The Orioles might be considering trading catcher Matt Wieters and closer Jim Johnson, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network.

Derek Jeter said he feels healthy and is “100 percent” sure he will be the Yankees’ everyday shortstop this season.

The Royals believe they need to add only one starting pitcher this offseason, writes Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. That could mean re-signing Ervin Santana or replacing him.

AL West

The Rangers agreed to a one-year contract with versatile infielder Adam Rosales, who was eligible for arbitration.

Free-agent outfielder and Houston native Chris Young tells our Brian McTaggart that he would like to play for the Astros.

NL East

The Marlins are looking to build around their young core, including Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez, rather than continuing to deal away pieces. On the other hand, Rosenthal tweeted that Miami is listening to offers for first baseman Logan Morrison.

Veteran right-hander Alfredo Aceves “appears to be a good possibility” to sign with the Mets, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Free-agent catcher Carlos Ruiz has been drawing plenty of interest this offseason, but our Todd Zolecki says he still could be a fit in Philadelphia.

NL Central

The Brewers have a hole to fill at first base, and while they could look to sign a free agent like James Loney or Justin Morneau or trade for someone like the Mets’ Ike Davis, another appealing option is to bring back Corey Hart. The veteran missed all of last season while recovering from knee surgery and is a free agent.

Speedy Reds prospect Billy Hamilton is playing winter ball in Puerto Rico and could get a chance to be the club’s center fielder if free agent Shin-Soo Choo signs elsewhere.

NL West

Dodgers club president Stan Kasten isn’t ruling out anything but said he doesn’t expect to make any splashy moves this offseason that would add significantly to the team’s already large payroll.

As the Rockies seek a replacement for retired first baseman Todd Helton, sources have told The Denver Post’s Troy Renck that they are interested in free agents Mike Napoli and James Loney.

Multiple outlets have reported that there’s been significant interest in Mets first baseman Ike Davis, with CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman saying the Astros, Orioles, Rays, Brewers and Rockies are among the suitors.

The Mets also have Josh Satin and Lucas Duda to play first base, so they figure to be likely to move one of them this winter. But ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin says the team could wait until later in the offseason to make a trade, when the market prompts more teams to look into deals.

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